Federation survey puts focus on demand, capacity and welfare

5 October 2020

Derbyshire Police Federation chair Tony Wetton is encouraging members to use a new survey as a chance to discuss their experiences during the pandemic.

Tony says this year’s Demand, Capacity and Welfare Survey, carried out nationally by the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW), is an opportunity for members to have their say on a range of issues, including policing during the Covid-19 crisis.

He said: “This is an important survey that looks at a range of other issues around your workload and welfare and gives you the opportunity to help shape our policy.

“It’s the first survey the Federation has run since the pandemic started and it will help us build a picture of just how it has affected our members.

“It builds on previous Demand, Capacity and Welfare Surveys and will identify trends that we can then help to address with police leaders.

“It will enable us as a Federation to spell out to the Government and the Home Office the issues that are affecting officers.

“Please make your voice heard,” he added.

This year’s is the third Demand, Capacity and Welfare Survey. It’s designed to provide a fuller picture of the main challenges currently facing policing and includes bespoke questions around officers’ experiences of working during the pandemic, and the plan to recruit an extra 20,000 officers by 2023.

Other topics covered include resilience within the police service, the day-to-day demands facing officers and the stress and impact on their mental health and welfare.

The results will allow the Federation to make meaningful comparison with the data gathered in 2018 and 2016 and to identify trends.

The last Demand, Capacity and Welfare Survey in 2018 found that in Derbyshire the average job satisfaction rating was 5/10, 85 per cent of respondents reported frequent single crewing and 56 per cent reported never or rarely taking their full rest break entitlement.

Of the respondents, 62 per cent said their workload was too high, 79 per cent said there weren’t enough officers to do the job and 80 per cent indicated they had experienced difficulties with their health and wellbeing over the previous 12 months.

PFEW national vice-chair and mental health lead Ché Donald said: “We greatly appreciate members taking the time to support the service by filling in this survey, and the information provided will be used to inform our policy development and help us to support and represent colleagues. 

“It is critical their voices are heard to keep people at the highest levels of policing informed of the reality of policing to build awareness, influence and most importantly initiate action and positive change for the greater good of our members.”

Members who have not received a link to the 2020 survey should contact the Federation office – email derbyshire@polfed.org

Find out more about the survey.